1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to the field of milking equipment and automated milking systems, and particularly to apparatus for cleaning milking equipment and milk lines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Infection of the teats and udder of a cow, known as mastitis, can be transmitted from cow to cow in the herd by the teat inflations which will be used on several cows during one milking. It has generally been infeasible for the operator to wash out the inflations after every milking with a disinfectant solution. Moreover, rinsing of the inflations and the claw with a disinfectant solution from the outside would leave residual amounts of disinfectant within the teat cup inflations, and possibly in the milk lines, which would be very difficult to remove. Such residual disinfectant could contaminate incoming milk from the following cow.
One approach to controlling the spread of mastitis from one cow to another has been to manually wash the teats and udder of the animal before each milking. An example of a mechanized apparatus for accomplishing such washing is shown in the U.S. patent to Sparr, U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,423. While cleansing of the cow's udder is helpful in minimizing the spread of mastitis, it is a time consuming operation for the milking operator. Moreover, once the teat inflations have been contaminated by a cow with mastitis, further cleansing of subsequent cows being milked does not protect them from transmission of the infection to them.